Having low or high blood sugar levels when outside is the diabetes community’s biggest concer, according to new Diabetes.co.uk poll. Around 35% of respondents selected “Hypo/hyper when out” on a Twitter poll asking people with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes “What is your biggest concern about diabetes?” A hypo is short for hypoglycemia while hyper is short for hyperglycemia. Diabetes burnout was second-highest with 26%, while 22% voters selected diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a dangerous short-term complication of diabetes. A total of 17% said ‘other’, with comments largely centering on the risk of diabetes-related complications developing. People with diabetes ultimately have a lot more to think about each day compared to those without diabetes, and unfortunately it’s not as simple as to say “you don’t need to worry” to help the diabetes community feel less anxious. However, help is available through a variety of resources, depending on what aspect of having diabetes you are most worried about. Visit our Hypo Program if you are concerned about having high or low blood sugar outside of your house. We also have information on diabetes burnout and what to do to prevent it worsening and how to come out of it.

One Twitter user’s concern related to food. “My biggest concern is that low carb eating is not generally advocated by the NHS as an excellent way to keep non-diabetic HbA1c.” Diabetes Awareness Month takes place every November to raise awareness of diabetes across the world and we are holding themes throughout the month, the first of which this week is food. Stay updated on our Facebook and Twitter pages as we will be addressing various stigmas and issues within food and diabetes. We’ll be busting myths about healthy and unhealthy food and also sharing some of our favourite low carb recipes.